Stolen Evening
by organanation
Summary: Han and Leia steal an evening together out of the reconstruction of the New Republic. They wander a marketplace near where they intend to one day settle down, reminisce about times gone by, and steal a few kisses along the way. Written for skywaalker for the HanxLeia Secret Santa Summer Exchange.


_AN: Written for skywaalker, my special giftee for the HanxLeia Secret Santa Summer exchange! Post-RotJ banter, wall kisses, and spooning just for you, my dear!_

"Last chance to bail on me and go play sabaac with the guys," Leia teased.

"You're cuter than they are," Han countered, nudging her playfully as they walked away from the marketplace stall.

Leia slipped her hand into the crook of Han's arm and he shifted his paper sack of spiced warra nuts to the other arm.

"It's a beautiful place," she said, looking around the outdoor marketplace. Han saw her glance over her shoulder-something that had been habit for both of them for a long time. It was still an entirely foreign idea to him that there might come a time when he could walk down the street with his arm around his girl and _not_ have to watch his back...even now, he was unconsciously checking the street for quick getaways and hiding places.

"Sure is," he replied, trying to calm his sense of survival that was starting to spin into high gear, exposed and out in the open.

They were walking through an outdoor market together, enjoying their first visit to Chandrilla together. They were there technically on official business—the very first baby steps in setting up their new government—but they'd both completed their day's work and decided that a wander through the city that would likely be their home would be a fine way to end a busy day.

Everything had been absolutely mad in the forty days since the destruction of the Death Star: After a brief day of rest on Endor, the Rebellion was immediately dispatched to all corners of the galaxy, trying to squash out the flailing tendrils of the Empire. Han's team had been sent here, there, and everywhere, and Leia had been relegated to the fleet. The only time they'd had together were stolen moments, nights between arrivals and departures, lunch hours spent in locked offices and private quarters.

The ability to be out on assignment together was nothing short of a treat. Though their daily tasks had them apart for the day, they were free to spend their leisure time together.

The square was buzzing with a sort of calm activity, the hustle-and-bustle of the day's crowds giving way to the unhurried nature of the evening's patrons.

"Fresh fruits! Fresh fruits from Outer Rim worlds!" one merchant called as they passed his stall. Leia slowed to a stop and looked with a critical, experienced eye over the fruit.

"Jybbuk-fruit? From the Mid-rim?" she asked, pointing to the little fruits laid out on a tray for sampling. The proprietor nodded and motioned for Leia to sample a piece as he continued to call his merchandise.

"You know, Princess, they make some pretty _potent_ stuff out of those fruits," he teased. Leia's eyebrow quirked up.

"If you're referring to the rum they make with this, I don't know what you're talking about," she smiled. " _Good little princesses_ aren't supposed to drink _rum_ ," Leia stated in the voice she always adopted when playing the role of her chastising aunts.

"If-hypothetically, of course-a princess _were_ to drink it," Han postulated teasingly, "what would happen?"

"Hypothetically, she would be in bed for the next day with a terrible hangover and a splitting headache, and would have to assure her mother, who'd call the princess's apartment on Coruscant, that it was just a little cold, and nothing to be worked up over," Leia filled in, rolling her eyes as Han gave her that long, crooked smirk.

"Well, it's a good thing you're not one of _those_ princesses," he taunted. Leia gave an exasperated shake of her head and popped the sample in her mouth, her lips and cheeks pulling inward at the sudden sourness.

"Those were _not_ ready to be picked yet," she informed Han quietly, keeping her voice down to avoid offending the proprietor. He chuckled as shuddered.

"Mineral water from the youth fountain! Sullustian mineral water!"

"Hopefully they're giving out tastes, too," Leia said, darting across the sidewalk toward the barker. He'd poured her a small glass of the stuff by the time Han made it back to her side, and she was drinking it slowly, letting the bubbles replace the sourness of the unripe fruit.

"Good?" he asked."

"Quite. I had some of this the first time we scouted Sullust for the Alliance, and I've wanted to try it again ever since. Here," Leia offered, passing him the glass with a sip left. He drained it and was impressed by the sweetness of it.

"I saw some fresh grava berries back a few stalls. We could get a pint of those, bottle of this, mix 'em with some tequila, and make some mean cocktails to go with dinner," Han suggested.

"Now _those_ sound like something a princess would _definitely_ drink," Leia agreed. They bought a bottle of the water and retraced their steps to find the vendor with the berries.

"You know," Han thought as they walked hand in hand through the marketplace, "we probably shoulda thought about what we actually want to _eat_ for dinner, unless you're interested in warra nuts and cocktails," he chuckled.

"No thanks, Hotshot. We're finally have access to fresh food-no preservatives or dehydration...we're eating _real_ food tonight," Leia insisted. She led him to a bench that was tucked out of the flow of traffic so they could decide on a meal.

"She has Rodian peppers," Han said, motioning down the row to a lady selling the sweet peppers. "I haven't had those in...I can't remember."

"Those sound good...oh, those people down there have sourfry. That ought to go nicely with the peppers," Leia suggested.

"Great. Let's go," Han said, standing.

"Wait-can't we sit for just a minute and...enjoy this?" Leia asked, a bit sheepish, gesturing to their peaceful surroundings. Han gave a playful roll of his eyes and sat down beside her again, tossing his arm around her shoulders as they sat, enjoying the quiet bustle of the urban area.

"This is what we fought for, isn't it," Han said.

Leia looked up at him with a soft smile.

"I'd like to think so," Leia agreed, leaning her cheek against his chest for a moment. Han was hit again with another wave of realization that _this_ was what his life would be like. Once they got the government set up, and things started to quiet down, he and Leia could finally take time together, like this...they could enjoy being a couple without fear of bounty hunters and Imperial officers...

The marketplace was surrounded by trees flowering in rich purple blossoms. Han reached up to a low-slung branch and plucked one of the flowers, tucking it into Leia's braid.

Leia fingered the flower slowly, pensively, and her happy, carefree expression dissolved into the look he recognized was brought on by painful memories.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Han asked as her lower lip began to quiver and a tear dripped from her eye.

"Momma and I used to make flower crowns all the time," Leia murmured tearily. "She always told me that the natural beauties of our gardens are the true crown jewels of Alderaan," Leia continued.

"I'm sorry, Leia-I didn't know," Han began apologizing, kicking himself mentally for bringing her out of their happy evening.

"No, no," she assured him. "We're finally safe, and I'm _so_ glad for that, but we lost so much...I didn't think I would miss some things as badly as I do," she explained.

Han nodded.

"The gardens at the palace were filled with trees like these. Fora trees. They were some of my favorites," Leia offered. "When it was nice out, Momma and I would sit outside and she would teach me about all the different kinds of Alderaanian flora. I liked being in the gardens, but I just wasn't interested in knowing everything about all those plants, and I _hated_ weeding and digging. I was just remembering the last time we did that before I moved to Coruscant...and how we'll never be able to do this again," Leia said, her voice even and measured.

"Yeah," Han nodded, wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I guess, in my head, the entire time I was fighting, I told myself that it was to get my life back, to be happy again...and I _do_ love what we have together, Han, I wouldn't change a thing," she promised quickly, her words tumbling out.

"I know, Sweetheart. I understand," Han soothed.

"Nothing's going to be the same-not a single thing," Leia murmured, leaning her temple into his shoulder, awkwardly swiping at her tears with the hand that wasn't trapped between them.

"It ain't easy to think that a certain part of your life is all over, knowin' that there are people you probably won't run into again, places you won't get to go back to, even if the time in your life they were a part of weren't that great," Han said.

He'd met so many smuggling crews: wise, old Captains watching out for the young and cocky crews, groups that had become family, old-timers who sat and told tall tales. He was unlikely to run across any of them, even those still alive. The seedy cantinas where they'd all done business, many had a great home-brewed ale, a filling blue-plate special, and decent music at the end of the work-cycle. The people and places he encountered now didn't differ greatly from those of his smuggling days, but somehow, they'd always be different.

"I guess the only consolation is that there's always somethin' new to look forward to and be excited about," he offered. "Your parents might not be here, but someday, we might have a family. It won't be the same, but it'll still be good," Han offered. "And me, well, I probably won't get to find a little hole-in-the-wall cantina for a good meal when I'm on planet, but I will get to come home and have dinner with you." Leia gave him a watery smile and nodded once, pressing her lips into his cheek.

"Sure. Now, what do you say we find somethin' to eat?" he asked, steering the conversation back to a happier topic.

"Sounds great," she agreed. Han pulled her to stand and pressed a gentle kiss to her mouth. She gave him a thankful smile as he tucked her under his arm.

Dinner was purchased quickly and they were soon both carrying little paper sacks and bundles filled with fresh food.

"Are you ready to go back to the spaceport?" Leia asked as they combined some of the bags, making things easier to carry-and giving them each a free hand to intertwine with the other's.

"C'mere," Han beckoned, a mischievous glint in his eyes. He looked around briefly before pulling her by the hand into an alley.

"Han, what are we doing?" Leia whispered, hurrying after him. The alley was secluded, but surprisingly clean and vacant of imperial troops and bounty hunters. He put his free hand on her shoulder and leaned her back against the brick wall of the building, looking down into her kaf-colored eyes a moment before leaning down to kiss her slowly. Leia's hand came up to his slim hips and hooked into his belt loops, pulling him closer.

"Good?" he rumbled, low and slow into her mouth.

"Mhm," she moaned. Voices approached the alley and Leia jumped back to reality. "Kissing you like that is nice, but we can do that on the _Falcon_ and _not_ cause a holonet scandal," Leia suggested.

Han sighed and let his hand fall down her arm, intertwining their fingers when he reached her hand. They walked back to the spaceport through the rising nightlife.

Leia put the food into the element and Han mixed up their drinks.

"Hmm, that's good," Leia said, taking a sip of the concoction.

"Mhm." The element beeped and Leia pulled out the warmed trays and set them on the counter. Han stuck his finger into the sourfry and popped it in his mouth. "Good," he commented, reaching around her for the napkins. "You're right in the way," Han chastised in a breathy whisper into her ear, pressing his front into her back and placing a few warm kisses into her neck while reaching for the napkins.

"I think I need to be in the way more often," Leia replied, turning her head to catch his mouth.

"As delicious as you are, sweetheart, I think I'd rather eat the peppers and the sourfry," Han teased.

They ate slowly, teasing and bickering back and forth, sharing bites and stealing kisses.

"I've got early duty tomorrow, and someone kept me up late last night," Han teased, flicking a finger over her cheek as they finished the dishes. "I'm gonna shower and head to bed."

"I've got a few things to look over and then I'll be in to join you," she promised.

When he came out of the 'fresher twenty minutes later with sleep pants slung low on his waist and a damp towel around his shoulders, Leia was curled up in their bed. Han tossed the towel into the hamper and crawled into bed.

"Doin' good, Princess?" he asked, finding her hip under the blankets and rubbing it gently, comfortingly.

"Mhm," she assured him, turning partway onto her back to tug him toward her. He spooned up against her, her small frame nesting perfectly into his. His hand swept under the t-shirt she had on, pushing it out of the way before roving first over her hip and then her waist and finally coming to rest comfortably over her stomach, holding her against his chest.

Her fingers traced lightly over his hand draped over her, basking in the secure feeling of being wound up in him.

"Tonight was good," Han decided, murmuring into her ear.

"You're not disappointed that you skipped sabaac with the Rogues and my brother?" Leia asked, all the tension in her body melting away as she relaxed into him.

"Not one bit."


End file.
